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A Merc G Wagen’s 23-year road trip

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When the Berlin wall fell in 1989, former airline executive Gunther Holtorf and his wife Christine left Germany in their Mercedes G Wagen, bound for an 18-month tour of Africa.

500,000 miles later, and 74-year-old Gunther is still going. He has no sponsorship and no factory backing - his trip’s been entirely self-funded, without so much of a sniff of Facebook or Twitter.

Gunther told BBC news: “The main cost for the traveler is restaurants and hotels”. Which is why he kitted out “Otto” the G-Wagen with cooking and sleeping facilities, choosing to spend his money on fuel and shipping the car around the world. Literally.

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